Gotcha is relatively new in Melbourne, first opening in June 2018. They stand apart from other bubble tea shops for several reasons: they farm their own tea from Alishan Mountain in Taiwan; they sell their own brand of reusable bottles, which get you free toppings when you use them; and their menu features a fair few flavours you won’t find at any other shop, as well as a Salted Egg Cheese topping and a selection of ‘collagen’ teas (apparently great for your skin).
Gotcha’s most popular drink is actually not tea at all, it’s Black Sugar Fresh Milk (very similar to Brown Sugar Pearl Milk on other shops’ menus). This is one of the newest bubble tea trends: fresh milk, with a black/brown sugar syrup, and golden/brown pearls. It tastes wickedly good and the way the dark sugar swirls into the milk is mesmerising. Gotcha’s golden pearls are wondrously soft, almost like a literal bubble, and surprisingly it’s not overly sweet (even at standard sugar level, once the ice melts a little) – imagine a more sophisticated caramel milk.
If you’re the kind of person who loves to do it for the ‘gram, Gotcha’s drinks are not only insta-worthy but their shop aesthetic is too: think millennial pink, terrazzo and sleek lighting with brass fixtures. Just don’t expect to be able to find a seat there; there’s barely any to begin with and it’s generally busy.
Gotcha currently has two shops in the CBD as well as in Springvale, Keysborough, Glen Waverley and Footscray, with shops to open soon in Clayton, Caulfield, Box Hill, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Doncaster, St Albans and Sunshine.